Photoshop ABC’s
So over the weekend what started as an idle tweet by Mark Jobson turned into a 3 ways tweetfest with Mark, Sean Armenta and myself working our way through a Photoshop ABC and I thought it might be quite good fun to put it up here to show that we actually managed it! And I don’t think we cheated too much!
Below is an edited version of the transcript, (though it hasn’t been altered too much)
Feel free to disagree with us, this isn’t supposed to be a definitive list or even the best list, this was the list we came up with whilst bantering over twitter… if we’d been in the pub then I’m sure it would have been heated!
Mark Jobson:
Seriously considering teaching my 5yr old how to retouch…
James Lightbown:
Keith Clouston is looking for retouchers if you get your 5 yr old up to speed quick enough! ;-)
Mark Jobson:
Scary thing is though… she seems to be genuinely interested. Right. A is for… Adjustment Layer lol
James Lightbown:
haha We’ve got to do a #photoshopabc … B is for Brushes
Mark Jobson:
C is for Curves
Photoshop Tips & Tricks: Adding Noise
Noise.
What is Noise? And why is Noise important to you?
Well it’s not as abstract a question as it may seem, for a start to clarify; I’m referring to Noise in the Adobe Photoshop sense. While I’m sure there is an Adobe approved definition of noise out there on the internets somewhere, for our target audience of beginners and novices, it may be useful to think of noise as the digital equivalent of film grain.
In a world in which pixel counts are getting bigger and bigger, producing smoother images and wider tonal ranges you may think that something like film grain is redundant, and that the ability to shoot at 400IS0 on your shiny new DSLR without getting much in the way of noise is actually a blessing.
But what about when you want that grainy feel, when everything is just a bit too smooth? That’s when you’ll be grateful for a bit of Noise.
But, before you go reaching for that handy noise filter the Adobe have so kindly provided for you (or even the film grain filter) give this handy, non-destructive way of adding noise a go first:
Step 1:
Make yourself a new layer.
“Six Ways To Die In A Bath”
A good few years ago I used to shoot the fashion editorials for some friends of mine who were publishing a monthly listings magazine in Manchester and there was one shoot in particular that stood out, “Six Ways To Die In A Bath”. About six months after the shoot I made notes on the whole process as a behind-the-scenes article and diary but at the time I wasn’t blogging so I didn’t have the opportunity to publish, until now….
So here it is, my diary of “Six Ways To Die In A Bath”.
The Best Camera… Is The Nearest One To Hand by James Lightbown
Chase Jarvis has produced a wonderful book, iphone app & community based around the principle of “The Best Camera Is The One That’s With You” for which he uses his iPhone (http://bit.ly/9Wks2m). I have to agree. I love the iPhone, the camera in the 3G model and all the fantastic apps available for tinkering with your images. I love them so much that, although I’ve started this post by talking about the iPhone I’m actually going to save it for a bigger article at some point in the future, an article that I’m thinking might even develop into a bit of a bigger concept and project for the site.
So why did I mention all that? Well it’s about that title… “The Best Camera Is The One That’s With You.” For the purpose of this article I’d actually like alter it slightly and say “the best camera is the one that’s closest to hand.” I love the thought of accessible photography. The story (urban legend or not) of Terry Richardson going away to shoot a huge campaign and realising at the airport that they didn’t actually have any of their cameras with them so simply popped into duty free to stock up on disposables is marvellous and should be inspirational. As photographers we can sometimes get caught up too much in all the marketing nonsense of the biggest and best cameras that we must have. Until I upgraded this year, the only camera in my kit was an old Canon 20D and it was fine. If I client wanted me to shoot with something better then they rented whatever they wanted me to shoot on, if I wasn’t sure how to use it then we got a digital assistant too. A great image doesn’t start with the camera you’re using, it starts with you, your model, your team and your creativity as a group. The camera is simply a tool to help you capture that moment when the team has all come together perfectly. Different cameras will help you get different results. That’s why Terry Richardson can shoot campaigns with a disposable.
Commercial Use Of Photographs On Archive Website Infringes Photographer’s Copyright by Tom Cowling
GRISBROOK v MGN LTD
In a judgment issued on 16 October which has potentially important ramifications for the photography industry, the High Court held that MGN Limited, the publishers of the Daily Mirror and other titles, had infringed copyright in photographs included in back copies of newspapers it was making available online to paid subscribers.
